Suction cleaner



Aug. 9, 1938. u. A, WHITAKER ET AL SUCTION CLEANER Filed NOV. 20, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet l Charles lil j Urea 3A Wfil'laker ATTORNEY Aug. 9, 1938.

U. A. WHITAKER'ET AL SUCTION CLEANER Filed Nov. 20, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FfyHQY R e a r a m EWB a k n r aw w we w J Aug. 9, 1938.

u. A. WHITAKER ET A1.

SUCTION GLEANER Filed NOV. 20, 1935 3 Sheets-Shegt 3 INVENTOR Char/e517 ZZZ yl or UrzcasAM hz'iaker IYQIIJ fl Wile ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 9, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUCTION CLEANER Uncas A. Whitaker and Harry B. White, Canton, and Charles H. Taylor, North Canton, Ohio, assignors to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 20, 1935, Serial No. 50,634

* 14 Claims.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general and more particularly to new and novel improvements in suction cleaners adapted for on-the-floor cleaning, and for both suction and blowing-in-oflf-the-floor cleaning. More specifically, the invention comprises new and novel improvements in the conversion means by which the cleaner is transformed from an on-thefloor unit to an off-the-fioor unit, and vice versa.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner. It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner adapted for on-thefloor cleaning, and for both suction and blowing off-the-floor cleaning. Still another object is the provision of a suction cleaner adapted for both blowing and suction off-the-floor cleaning, and in which the nozzle and the positively driven agitator therein are lifted above the cleaning surface in the ofi-the-iioor cleaning operation. A still further object is to provide a suction cleaner in the blowing off-the-floor cleaning relationship of which air enters the suction-creating means through an inlet other than the suction nozzle. A further object is to provide a suction cleaner in which an improved type of converter valve functions to change the cleaner from an on-the-fioor cleaning unit to an off-the-floor cleaning unit.

Still another object is the provision of a suction cleaner in which interlocking mechanism prevents the use of the cleaner as an off-the-fioor blowing unit until the cleaner nozzle has been sealed from the suction-creating means and the nozzle has been raised from the supporting surface. and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings in which the same reference characters refer to the same parts throughout:

Figure 1 is aside view of a suction cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention with certain parts of the casing broken away;

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the cleaner of Figure 1 with a portion of the bottom piece broken away to show the mounting of the front wheels;

Figure 3 is a section upon the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and illustrates a closure valve at the eye of the fan chamber in the air passageway connecting the fan chamber to the nozzle;

Figure 4 is a view of the valve element of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a section taken upon the line 5-5 of Figure 2 and illustrates the means for preventing These.

wheels;

Figure 6 is a partial bottom view of the cleaner,

similar to Figure 2, but with the converter valve moved to its position in the ofi-the-fioor cleaning relationship Figure 7 is a section upon the line 'l--l of Figure 6 illustrating how the converter valve extends across the air passageway between the fan chamber and the nozzle to seal the latter from the suction-creating means;

Figure 8 is a section upon the line 8-485 of Fig ure 6 and illustrates the mechanism by which the cleaner nozzle is raised upon the movement of the converter to its off-the-ficor position shown in Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a section upon the line t--@ of Figure 6 and shows the manual adjustment for the front supporting wheels;

Figure 10 is a top view of the cleaner with certain parts of the casing broken away to show the blower valve which seals the blower conduit from the exhaust or high pressure side of the suctioncreating means;

Figure 11 is a transverse vertical section upon the line ll-ll of Figure 10 and shows a dusting tool hose connected to the blower conduit and the blower valve pivoted into a position to direct air into the blower conduit; I

Figure 12 is a section upon the line lZ-It of Figure 10 and illustrates the locking means by which the converter is retained in either its operative or inoperative position;

Figure 13 is a partial side view of the cleaner with dusting tool connected and with parts broken away and showing the position of the dusting tool hose lock-out for the blower conduit with the converter in its operating position;

Figure 14 is a section through the blower valve upon the line I4--l4 of Figure 10;

Figure 15 is a partial view of the blower valve and the actuating mechanism by which the valve is operated upon the insertion of the dusting tool connector. A suction cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention is basically the same as a suction cleaner which is designed for on-thefloor cleaning. only. A suction nozzle l is provided with surface-contacting front and rear lips 2 and 3 respectively. An air passageway 4 having a removable bottom plate 5 connects the nozzle I to the eye 6 of the fan chamber, there being a manually operable spring-pressed detent 8 which cooperates with a lug 9 upon the bottom plate 5 to retain it in place.

Within fan chamber I is positioned a suctioncreating fan III. A motor casing II is positioned immediately above the .fan chamber and houses an unshown driving motor, the shaft l2 of which extends downwardly through the fan chamber I and into the air passageway 4 where it is formed as a driving pulley H.

A rotary agitator l4 including rigid beating elements andflexible brush elements is mounted within nozzle 1 and is adapted to contact a surface covering between the nozzle lips 2 and 3. Agitator is provided centrally with a pulley surface which seats a belt l5 driven by the shaft pulley l3 at the lower end of motor shaft l2.

An exhaust outlet 16 extends rearwardly from the fan chamber 1 to convey air under preshaust outlet being retained in place by nuts l8, l8 which clamp the bag ring l9 to the flanged outer end of the exhaust outlet.

The cleaner is movably supported by rear wheels 20, 20 and by front wheels 2|, 2|, the latter being mounted upon crank arms at the extremities of a transversely extending shaft 22.

Shaft 22 is rotatably mounted on the underside of the top wall of the nozzle l in seat-formin brackets 23 illustrated in Figures 2 and 5, end play in the shaft being prevented by means of a projection 24 which is slidable within a cir cumferential slot 25 in one of the brackets.

The nozzle I of the cleaner is raised and lowered by a manual adjustment mechanism comprising a rotatable knob 26. Member 26, as is most clearly illustrated in Figure 9, includes an internally threaded sleeve which encloses an externally threaded sleeve 21 which it advances into or from the nozzle upon being itself rotated. A plunger 23 slides within sleeve 21 and is connected ,at its lowerend to a bracket 29 mounted upon the adjacent wheel-carrying crank arm at the end of shaft 22. The front wheels are normally retained in the uppermost position permitted by the contact of the end of bracket 29 with the upperor inner end of sleeve 21 by a coil spring 30 which encircles a central portion of shaft 22 and exerts a rotating torque thereon. The shaft may be rotated to lower the wheels against the force exerted by the spring without adjustment of the manual adjusting means. The manual adjusting means, however, at all times determines the upper limit of wheel movement and adjustment.

As in the usual suction cleaner, a handle is provided, the lower end of'which is indicated at M in Figure 1, and the cleaner can be propelled over a surface undergoing cleaning by the exertion of a moving force thereon. It is common practice in suction cleaners to support the upper end of the dust bag II from the handle, and while it is not part of the present invention the same means may be used here if desired.

The cleaner partshereinbefore described are sufficient to provide a cleaner for on-the-floor operation. In that operation the driving motor rotates the suction-creating fan and a reduced pressure is effected within the nozzle l resulting in the lifting of the surface covering against the lips 2 and 3 and the drawing of cleaning air through the nozzle, through the fan chamber I, and exhausting it into the'filtering bag II. The driving pulley II at the lower end of the motor shaft is also rotated and the rotary agitator l4 within the nozzle is driven therefrom by the interconnecting belt II. The cleaning air rushing into the nozzle is aided and assisted by the rotating agitator to dislodge embedded foreign matter in a surface covering undergoing cleaning and that foreign matter is removed from the air as it passes through the dust bag I! in leaving the apparatus.

In addition to the parts of the cleaner which are necessary for on-the-floor cleaning, the cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention is also provided with means which enable it to function as a suction unit or as a blower unit in off-the-floor cleaning. To enable it to function as a suction unit in off-the-iloor cleaning there is provided a. converter member 35 which is pivotally mounted upon a pin 36 on the under side of the fan chamber 1 immediately in the rear of the fan eye 6. Converter 35 includes a forward portion shaped as a valve which is adapted to extend across the air passageway 4 between the fan eye 6 and the nozzle to cooperate with the top, bottom and opposing side wall of the air passageway to seal the nozzle from the fan chamber. The converter also includes a conduit portion which is rectangular in cross section and which is of such length that with the valve portion of the converter sealing the nozzle from the fan chamber the conduit 34 of the converter is connected to the suctioncreating means.

Converter 35 is adapted to assume two positions, one of which is illustrated in Figure 2 and the other in Figure 6. In its inoperative or on-the-fioor cleaning position it is retained as illustrated in Figure 2 and lies below the fan chamber 1 and the exhaust air passageway l6. To protect the converter further from contact with foreign objects a protector plate 31 is provided which underlies the converter in its inoperative position, illustrated in Figure 2.

To retain the converter in its operative and inoperative positions there is provided a springpressed latch 38 at the outer end of the conduit portion. The latch is illustrated in detail in Figure 12. In the inoperative position of the converter the latch extends against the rear edge of protecting plate 31, as illustrated in Figure 2, and in the operative position of the converter fits within a seat 39. Release from either position is accomplished by depressing the end of the latch.

At one side of the fan eye 6 the air passageway 4 is provided with a pivoted gate or valve 40, illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4. Valve 40 is normally held. by means of a torsion spring 4|, in

sealing relationship to an opening 42. The forward or inner end of the valve portion of converter 35 extends adjacent opening 42 and is adapted to pass through that opening, as the converter pivots to enter the air passageway to perform its function of sealing the nozzle from the suction-creating means. In this movement the forward end of the converter contacts the valve 40 and pivots it to open position.

In the conversion of the machine from an onthe-floor cleaner to an oiI-the-floor cleaner the operator first depresses the latch 38 permitting the converter to be pivoted from the position shown in Figure 2 to that shown in Figure 6. This may be done with the foot. The valve portion of the converter moves through the opening 42 in the air passageway, pivoting inwardly the valve 4|! against the force exerted by spring 41, and extends across the air passageway as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7. Upon'the converter reaching its inner sealing position the latch 38 seats within the seat 39 and the converter is locked in place until intentionally displaced therefrom. With the converter so positioned the suction of the suction-creating means is effective within the converter conduit and the nozzle is I sealed therefrom.

During the operation oi the cleaner in ofi-thefloor cleaning, however, the agitator it continues to be driven. To eliminate the possibility of surface contact by this element, with resultant unnecessary load upon the cleaner motor, automatic means are provided to depress the front supporting wheels M, ii to raise the nozzle and the agitator. This mechanism comprises a converter-contacting lever arm it which is pivoted upon a vertical pivot pin td. Lever it carries a roller contact M at its outer end which is adapted to roll on and receive iorce from the side of converter it to pivot the lever arm. A shaft-contacting lever M is pivoted upon lever arm at at a point spaced from pivot pin M, as indicatedat ll. Lever it slides upon a vertical pin it upon its actuating lever ii being moved, being provided with a slot til which directs its forward end forwardly and into contact with the wheel shaft it as illustrated in Figures 6 and 8. A coil spring ht is positioned at the pivot point td of lever it and functions to pivot lever arm to hold the forward end of lever it in contact with the cranl: arm of shaft iii, as illustrated in Figure 8. The normal on-the-floor cleaning position of the shaft is determined, of course, by the position of the manual adjusting means it in cooperation with the coil spring it acting to hold the shaft in the uppermost position permitted by the adjustment.

Upon the converter being moved from its inoperativeposition, shown in Figure 2, to its operative or oii-the-floor position, shown in Figure 6, lever arm dd is pivoted from. the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 6 by the contact of the side of the converter with the roller Thepivotal movement of arm dd results in the advancement of shaft-contacting arm it which slides upon supporting pin it. This forward movement of the arm it results in a downward movement of the crank arms and of the front supporting wheels ii, iii. The wheels are pivoted downwardly from an upper position, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 8, to a lower position, as indicated in full lines in the same figure. 'lihis downward movement of the wheels results in the raising of the front end of the cleaner including the nozzle and the agitator.

In the cleaning oi articles in oiiY-the-floor oper ation it is often desirable to use positive pressure or a blowing action rather than suction. In cleaning radiators and pipes, for example, it is often desirable to blow dust and foreign objects from the suriaceto which they adhere. In the suction cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention, the conversion of the machine to positive pressure from an on-the-fioor unit, or from an oiT-the-floor unit arranged for suction, is readily and easily accomplished.

To arrange the cleaner for oiiY-the-fioor blowing it is first necessary to position the converter in in its operative or ofl-the-fioor position as though the machine were to be used in ofi-thefloor suction cleaning. The cleaner nozzle is then sealed from the suction-creating means and the forward end of the cleaner including the agitator is raised from the supporting surface. All air entering the suction-creating means enters through the conduit of converter 36. The completion of the conversion of the machine to an ofi-the-floor blowing unit is then accomplished by the .use of the construction hereinafter described.

The cleaner casing or body immediately in the rear of .the motor casing Ii and above the exhaust outlet i6 is provided with a blower conduit or seat at which extends transversely across the cleaner and is open at one end. The bottom wall of the conduit which wall is also the top wall of exhaust outlet it, is provided with an opening or port it which is normally closed, when the cleaner is not used as a blowing unit, by a blower valve bl pivotally mounted upon a transverse shaft ht positioned in the air passageway it immediately in the rear of the conduit. As shown in Figure l-i the pivotal aids hill of the valve is protected by an enclosing seal member till to prevent the accumulation of foreign matter.

The actuatingmeans for valve bl is illustrated in Fig. and comprises a cam member it carried by shaft it adjacent the mouth of conduit 55, as shown in Figure 13. A spring ti connects at one end to the cleaner body and at its opposite end to the cam member it and functions to hold the valve normally in its upper position to close port it and seal the blower conduit 5% from the suction-creating means and exhaust passageway iii. The cam member it is formed with a groove which extends helically around the shaft M of the valve as an axis. The conduit bit is. formed at its mouth with a slot immediately adjacent member it so that upon insertion of the rectangular metallic end iii of the dusting tool hose, the greater length of which is formed of an elongated flexible tube (it, a projecting pin it on the lower corner of connector it will enter the slot and extend into groove in element till. its the connector is advanced to its seating position the pin ti l will cause the cam member tit to rotate, thereby rotating the valve hi to open the port it and to close the exhaust passageway leading to the dust bag. The withdrawal of the dusting tool connecter moves the valve again to its lower conduit-sealing relationship with blower port tilt, the spring Gil retaining it in this position. it spring-pressed latch til is provided upon the top of connector it which extends into a seat in the upper wall oi the conduit ti and retains the connecter against accidental displacement.

' To prevent the connection of the dusting tools hose to the high pressure side of the suction creating means unless the forward end of the cleaner has first been raised, there is provided a lookout member W. Member is in the shape of a right angle with its upper end extending into the conduit 5% during on-the-lioor cleaning. Lockout lid is provided with a coil spring til which urges lockout to from the conduit. With converter it in its inoperative position the outer end of lockout it, which is formed as a camming surface it, rests upon its top, as shown in Figure 1, thereby holding the opposite end of the memher in conduit-obstructing position, and rendering it impossible to insert the dusting tool connecter into the blower conduit. Upon the movernent oi the converter in to its operative posi- It is possible to use the cleaner as either an oiI-the-floor suction unit or as an ofl-the-floor blowing unit by inserting the dusting tool connecter 62 into the proper seat upon the cleaner. As the converted 35 is always positioned in its operative position in oif-the-floor cleaning the connecter 62 can be inserted therein and retained by its latching means 65. In this operation the nozzle is sealed from the suction creating meansand the blowing conduit is also sealed from the exhaust outlet or high pressure side of the suction-creating means by the valve 57. If the operator desires to blow with the dusting tools he need only withdraw the dusting tool connecter 62 from the converter 35 and insert it into the blower conduit 55. necter 62 results in the rotation of the cam member 60 and the valve 51 which is carried upon its own shaft 58 connected to the valve member. The valve assumes a position in which the exhaust outlet is sealed from the dust bag and air passing from the suction-creating means enters the conduit 55 and so will pass into the dusting tool connecter and hose.

From the foregoing it is seen that an improved cleaner has been provided which is readily transformable from one type of cleaning unit to another. It is to be understood that the specific embodiment is only illustrative and that the invention is only limited as recited by the claims following.

We claim:

1. In a suction cleaner of the type adapted for on-the-fioor and for oiI-the-floor cleaning, suction creating means, main and secondary suction inlets, main and secondary pressure outlets, valve means to seal said main suction inlet from said suction creating means and to connect said secondary suction inlet thereto, valve means to seal said main pressure outlet from the pressure side of said suction creating means and to connect said secondary pressure outlet thereto, and means preventing the connection of a dusting tool hose to said secondary pressure outlet with said main suction inlet connected to said suction-creating means.

2. The construction recited in the preceding claim characterized in that said secondary inlet is formed on and is movable with the valve which seals the main suction inlet from the suction- I creating means.

3. The construction recited in the first claim characterized in that the means preventing the connection of a dusting tool hose to the secondary pressure outlet comprises a lookout obstructing said outlet and connected to the means to seal the main suction inlet from the suction-creating means.

4. In a suction cleaner, the combination of suction creating means, a nozzle having an air inlet passage to said suction creating means, a rotary floor-covering contacting member mounted in said nozzle, a valved port leading into said air inlet passage, a conduit plvotally mounted on said cleaner and adapted to be swung bodily through said port to close off said first mentioned air passage and to form a secondary air inlet passage to said suction creating means, adjustable means for raising and lowering said nozzle, and means operative in the movement of said conduit into and out of secondary inlet forming position to actuate said adjustable means to raise and lower said nozzle.

5. In a suction cleaner adapted to be converted to and from off-the-floor cleaning operation, the

The insertion of the con" combination of suction creating means, a nozzle having an air inlet passage to said suction creating means, a rotary floor-covering contacting member mounted in said nozzle, a converter member pivotally mounted on said cleaner and normally positioned exterior said air inlet passage, said converter member being adapted to be swung bodily into a position to seal said inlet passage from said suction creating means and to become a secondary inlet passage, an adjustable wheeled support for said cleaner, and means interconnecting said wheeled support and said converter member whereby the former is adjusted to raise and lower said nozzle in a movement of the latter into and out of converting position.

6. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, a fan chamber having an eye, an air passageway connecting said eye to said nozzle, a port in said passageway, a valve normally closing said port, a converter including a valve portion and a conduit portion pivoted to swing through said port, forcing said valve to its open position, and to extend across said passageway to seal said nozzle from said fan chamber eye and to connect its own conduit portion to that eye.

7. In a suction cleaner, the combination of a casing having a nozzle and suction creating means including a fan chamber having an inlet opening connected with said nozzle through a passageway provided with a port located adjacent said inlet opening, a valve normally closing said port, and a converter comprising a conduit mounted on said casing to be shifted endwise through said port and, forcing said valve into open position, to extend across said passageway and close off said nozzle and simultaneously establish communication with the inlet opening to said fan chamber.

8. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, an agitator in said nozzle, an air passageway, a fan chamber connected to said passageway, a fan in said chamber, a drive shaft carrying said fan in said chamber and extended therethrough into said passageway, power-transmitting means connecting said shaft to said agitator and extended through said passageway, a port in said passageway, a valve normally closing said port, and a converter including a valve portion and a conduit portion, said converter being pivoted to swing through said port, forcing said valve into open position and bringing its valve portion transversely across said passageway to close said nozzle from said fan chamber, with its conduit portion projecting from said port.

9. In a suction cleaner having a body, a nozzle, a fan chamber, an air passageway connecting said nozzle to said fan chamber, a normally closed port in said passageway, a converter comprising a valve portion and a conduit mounted on said body and lying substantially within the confines of said body, said converterbeing movable to a second position in which said valve portion extends through said port to close said passageway with said conduit portion projecting therefrom to receive a dusting tool hose.

10. In a suction cleaner having a body, a nozzle, a fan chamber, an air passageway connecting said nozzle to said fan chamber, a normally closed port in said passageway, a converter comprising a valve portion and a conduit mounted on said body and lying substantially within the confines of said body, said converter being movable to a second position in which said valve portion extends through said port to close said passageway with said conduit portion projecting from said port to receive a dusting tool hose, and means to secure said converter releasably in either of its positions.

'11. In a suction cleaner, the combination of suction creating means, a blower conduit, a suction conduit shiftable into and out of connection with said suction creating means, and means for normally obstructing said blower conduit against the seating of a dusting tool unit therein and operatively connected with said suction nozzle -whereby said obstructing member is removed from said blower conduit upon the shifting of said suction conduit into connection with said suction creating means.

12. In a suction cleaner, the combination of suction creating means having an air inlet and an air outlet, a conduit shiftable to and from a. position to communicate with said suction creating means through said air inlet, and means fol preventing the attachment of a dusting tool unit to said air outlet unless said conduit has first been shifted into communication with said suction creating means.

13. In a suction cleaner, a suction-creatin means having a suction inlet and an exhaust operated by the'seating of a dusting tool unit in said seat to actuate said valve to connect said seat to said suction-creating means.

14. In a suction cleaner, the combination of a casing having a nozzle and suction-creating means including a fan chamber normally communicating with said nozzle through an air passageway having a port in the wall thereof adjacent said fan chamber, a, valve member normally closing said port, a Wheeled support for said casing adjustable to regulate the height of said nozzle above the floor surface, a converter member comprising a conduit adapted to be inserted through said port into a position to close ofi said fan chamber, and means operative by said converter in its movement to and from converted position to actuate said wheeled support to raise and lower said nozzle.

TAYLOR. 

